After the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, the god of cricket, many believed it was the end of India’s golden era. But the man who once carried Sachin on his shoulders was about to carry his legacy forward — a legacy no one could have imagined.
If Sachin is the one who just started Cricket as a religion, then Virat is the one who painted the World with this religion.
Rise of Delhi Da Munda - Journey of Virat Prem Kohli
Virat Kohli was selected to play international cricket at just 19. But it wasn’t all roses. His passion began with his father. In 2006, while playing a Ranji match against Karnataka, he got the devastating news of his father's sudden death, that made him the one taught to hold the bat as well his dream. He has lost everything: his mentor, his best friend - his Father. He was batting on 40 at the time. Despite his loss, he returned to the field the next morning and scored 90 — dedicating the knock to the man who taught him to love the game. That was the first time people saw a different breed — someone who was born to dominate.
The Young Kohli was now just in love with the field. It's now just the case of 2 - 3 years, he loved playing cricket when he was just 9. Virat started young, like really young. Virat joined the West Delhi Cricket Academy at age 9 under coach Rajkumar Sharma. He joined the West Delhi Cricket Academy (WDCA) at age 9, under coach Rajkumar Sharma. He played for Delhi’s U-15 and U-17 teams, where he smashed runs like he was born with a bat. In 2006, in the Polly Umrigar Trophy, he scored 757 runs in 7 matches. That put him on the BCCI’s radar.
THE U-19 HERO: Captain Before Captaincy Was Cool
After dominating junior cricket, he got picked for the U-19 England tour in 2006. But it was the 2008 U-19 World Cup in Malaysia that changed everything. Selectors saw more than just a run-machine — they saw a leader. With a strike rate of 97, an average of 47, and even 2 wickets to his name, Kohli wasn't just a player — he was a moment. From his classy celebrations to his aggressive captaincy style everything is becoming the headline. After lifting the U-19 World Cup, it took just six months for him to break into the senior India team.
BREAKING INTO THE BIG LEAGUE: Hello, Senior India
After the under 19 in Malaysia, even the selectors are becoming his fan. The guy from Delhi, What is his name? Virat Kohli…
With Sehwag and Sachin injured in 2008, India needed a backup opener. Enter Virat Kohli. He debuted with just 12 runs off 22 balls. But 2009 gave him a comeback story — facing Sri Lanka again The senior players were rested during this tour, the opportunity is knocking his door - and he just shot some straight drives onto the selectors chamber to fans hearts, he smashed his first international ton: 107 in Kolkata. This guy's not going to settle for the small his hunger is bigger, bigger than what we think. Became the fastest Indian batsman to touch the benchmark of one thousand runs in ODI.
Virat quickly became India’s most reliable No. 3 — a spot once owned by Rahul Dravid. His consistency against top-tier teams earned him the title of "Chasing Master." In the 2011 World Cup, under MS Dhoni's leadership, Kohli scored a century in the opening match against Bangladesh waving his bat little high, and a crucial 35 in the final. And when India won — The Young Virat, is absorbing the emotion of winning his first ICC trophy with his dream icon, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - the man whom he is carrying on his shoulder to feel the burden of which he carried for 21 years - “He has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It was time we carried him”.
CAPTAIN KOHLI: When The Crown Found Its King
Virat doesn’t just score runs — he devours them like a beast in heat. From the moment he stepped onto the senior pitch, there was a visible fire in his eyes, always ON, he became India’s heartbeat. Under Dhoni’s calm mentorship, he matured. In 2014, he became Test captain during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. First match? 115 & 141 — centuries in both innings. Dhoni was suddenly retired with the immediate effect the fan was in such shock - The captaincy maze of the test has been passed down to Virat Kohli, and the rest was the Virat Kohli era.
2016 PEAK: The Year of the God-Mode Virat
The beast, the chase master, the man who is devoting the field with his bat - as well as with his leadership. From winning three back-to-back Border-Gavaskar Trophies (2 in Australia, 1 in India) to becoming the first Asian captain to win a Test series Down Under — Kohli’s record books started catching fire. Build a team of 15 match winners not just 11 who are playing with fire, confidence and pride, unbeaten in India as captain until 2021- the home domination, the aggressive body language, the gen-z strength that has never been seen in India. Turn India from home tigers to World Lions, win abroad or don't come back - that is the ruthless culture in the Virat's era prioritising test cricket it was religion - the man bleds white.
Under his captaincy, India held the ICC Test #1 ranking for 42 straight months (Oct 2016 – Mar 2020). That’s domination. He made Yo-Yo fitness tests a thing, turned India’s bowling unit into a lethal overseas weapon, and built a squad of 15 warriors who could win anywhere.
In 2016, Kohli scored 2,595 runs across formats in just 36 matches, with 7 centuries. ODI average? 92.37. T20 average? 106.83. Insane. He smashed 235 vs England in Mumbai — his longest Test innings. Facing peak Malinga, launching sixes, owning every format — King Kohli was unstoppable. He's taking New Zealand and Australia like it was just a warm up. Double centuries against West Indies, New Zealand, England, man was forming 2000s like mangoes in May. Score 235 vs England at Mumbai longest inning of his life in the test match of 2016. Dominating every country, every pitch, every format - He is becoming a global brand
It's not just the test format in which he's taking steps upwards, The Class of King in ODI and T20 is one which people can worship. Even the downfall of him was better than someone's peak.
THE DOWNTIME: 1021 Days of Silence
After stepping down from the test captaincy the downfall for the king has been started and the question mark on his performances has been rapidly increasing. His last century was in 2019 vs Bangladesh Day Night Test Eden Gardens then silence format after format series after series close core 70s 80s heard back means but no triple doesn't score. The legends call him outdated even the World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev calls out him and says “If you can drop a great like R. Ashwin, Rahane from the team, why not Virat Kohli?, there's no place for ego.”
Even in his darkest phase, he played that one knock which made the world stop and bow.
An innings that broke the internet, shattered doubts, and made grown men cry. The biggest rivalry on the biggest stage — World Cup T20, Melbourne Cricket Ground, against Pakistan. That 82 wasn’t just a number — it was the saga of a lone warrior, rising when the battle seemed lost. He reminded the world — when Virat Kohli is at the crease, India doesn’t lose while chasing.Even if there’s just one percent chance, he’ll turn it into a storm. That night, under the Melbourne lights, Kohli didn’t just play a match — he wrote a legacy.
THE COMEBACK: A King Never Bows Forever
Then came 2022. Against Afghanistan in Dubai — strike rate 200. A century with which India collectively exhaled. The Wait. The Weight. The Roar. Kohli reminded the world: Form is temporary. Class is permanent. With a strike rate of 200 ! This danger is coming to haunt the bowler, to claim his territory again.
Then came the 2023 World Cup — and oh boy, did Kohli deliver. He delivered something unreal, 3 centuries and 6 half-centuries with an average of 95.6. Even broke Sachin’s 2003 record of 673 runs in a single World Cup. Kohli scored 765 runs in 11 innings. Average: 95.62. Strike rate: 90+. Player of the Tournament. 15th ODI century in World Cups, in a semi-final against New Zealand — in front of Sachin. He bowed to the crowd. To his hero.To history. “This means everything to me,” Kohli said post-match. Virat won the tournament.
From being called outdated to becoming the undisputed King again — Virat Kohli reminded the world: legends don’t fade. They rise, roar, and reign again.
The world class Player to, A world class CAPTAIN - The Captain who never Failed